Vail Daily obituary: Brian Philip 'Bolder' Lefebvre, 1953-2012

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Bolder Lefebvre, 59, passed away Nov. 11 after a two-year battle with cancer. He died in the comfort of his home after spending his last weeks having a great time with family and friends.Bolder was born on April 12, 1953, in Holyoke, Mass., to Jerome and Claire Lefebvre. He graduated from New Hampshire College in 1975, and spent six years in the Air Force National Guard. He moved to Vail in 1978, where he was employed at Garton's Saloon. From there, he worked at the Watch Hill Oyster Club, met Cindy Bullock in 1981 and they were married in 1984. In 1989, they were blessed with a son, Colby Breton Lefebvre. Bolder then helped open and manage the Hubcap Brewery in 1990 for six years. In 1997, Bolder began working at Charlie's T-Shirts, where he helped open the Eagle Airport location. He fondly became known as "Air Boldair." He had a tradition of buying roses for all the airline counter girls and saluting the last flight of every ski season with them. He worked at many of the Charlie's locations in Vail and also had a second job calling on restaurants in the Vail Valley for Western Slope Bar Supply.Bolder was loved wherever he went, and was the type of guy who could sit in pub and instantly connect with the staff and patrons alike. He was known as the mayor of E-town because he enjoyed presiding over the bar, and watching sporting events at that establishment in Edwards, where he and Cindy live. Bolder was a big fan of the Boston Celtics, the New York Giants, the Masters and the Pro Bowling Tour. He loved to cook and knew his way around a grill - helping to influence his son's career choice. He wore his heart on both sleeves and both pant legs. He will be greatly missed. Bolder is survived and lovingly remembered by his wife, Cindy, and son, Colby, of Vail. He is also survived by his mother, Claire Lefebvre, West Springfield, Mass., and brothers Brett (Trudy) Lefebvre (Newburyport, Mass.) and Russell (Beth) Lefebvre (Carmel, Calif.). Also left to mourn are Cindy's family, many nieces and nephews, other relatives, and many friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Jerome Lefebvre. The family has respectfully requested that any memorial contributions be made to The Shaw Cancer Center, P.O. Box 2559, Edwards, CO 81632. They took excellent care of Bolder during his treatments.A memorial service has been planned for Saturday at the Edwards chapel beginning at 3 p.m.In addition, there will be a benefit and celebration of life scheduled for Dec. 5 at E-Town in Edwards. If you wish to make a donation, please send a check made payable to the Vail Valley Charitable Fund, P.O. Box 2307, Edwards, CO 81632. Include a note that you would like to donate to Bolder's family. You can also log onto vvcf.org or call 970-926-9795. The many Bolder storiesHis legacy at Charlie's was showing up at 5 a.m. at the Charlie's warehouse for his scheduled 9 a.m. shift on a daily basis. Bolder's favorite holiday was Christmas. Every year, his family would hold a Christmas Eve party for approximately 50 people. He would hand out song books so everyone could follow along. Family and friends would endure lengthy (and oft repeated) renditions of "Alouette" and "Mele Kalikimaka," replete with hula skirts, dance moves and indicated spots for sips of Christmas cheer. Many a child has grown up with this custom and is now taking it to college, forever ingrained in their holiday protocol.Among Bolder's favorite things to do was the annual spring trip to Moab with some of his best friends. "Chancellor" Bolder would serve as house mom, preparing gourmet meals and ensuring that everyone had a packed lunch to take on the golf course after a long mountain bike ride. It was a favorite ritual to see who could talk Bolder out of the kitchen and onto the golf course. After a day of biking, golf, bowling and a gourmet dinner, the late nights in Moab were spent with a Dewars and discussions on how to solve the world's and our own numerous problems. Bolder was an avid runner and could be seen running through the streets of Edwards every morning at 4 a.m. dressed in his 1970s-style fluorescent lime green running shorts and hat that he had had for 20 years. His ritual was to hit the Shell gas station every morning to reward himself with a diet Pepsi with tons of ice.Bolder was most proud of his son, Colby, who with his Prostart team from Battle Mountain High School won the state competition two years in a row to then advance to nationals in Charlotte, N.C. During Colby's senior year, he and his team won the national competition. Colby took his cooking skills that he inherited from his dad and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in food service management from Johnson & Wales University in Denver. He currently works with the Moe's Original BBQ boys as the general manager of their Eagle store.During the summer of 2012, Bolder and Cindy were able to go on three fabulous vacations with Colby, friends and family. These vacations were truly a gift!